All Time Low
by BananaBabe1818
Summary: The United States Captain/Spy is in unknown territory and must find her son. She seems to find help within the Brotherhood of Steel and becomes friendly with a certain Paladin and Elder. Will she find Shaun? Which faction will she ultimately choose to join? Will the Commonwealth chew up the pre-war woman or will she chew up the Commonwealth?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The compound was heavily overrun with ferals, Rhys was wounded, and the ghouls were slowly beginning to corner them. The police station would act as a barricade for a short while, but the monstrosities would eventually break through and eradicate them. The thought scared the Paladin. His soldiers should look up to him and see nothing but bravery. Instead, they would most likely see cowardice.

Just as he was about to give the order, a flash of blue sprinted behind a barricade and fired five shots.

The five heads closest to him exploded.

He didn't have time to register what had happened when several more shots were fired killing the remainder of the ghouls. The three Brotherhood soldiers stared at the blue clad woman who had stepped out of the shadows. "Are you okay?"

"Who the hell are you?" Rhys snarled.

"Rhys," Danse snapped, "Be respectful. She just saved our lives. State your business, civilian."

"I was making my way towards Diamond City when I heard your distress signal. Figured I could help out fellow soldiers," she shrugged.

He Paladin scowled, his eyes narrowing. "You're a member of the Brotherhood?"

"No, sir."

Rhys laughed dryly. "How is a _Vault Dweller_ a soldier?" He sneered.

"The Vault I was in had us cryogenically frozen; I only thawed out just recently. Which means I've been alive since before the bombs," she answered.

"Before the bombs?" Haylen repeated, her eyes instantly lighting up. "So you know about the technology from back then. What things were like before all the radiation?"

"Yes. I can tell you about it if you wish."

"We can get to that later," Danse was watching the pre-war soldier with trained eyes. From just looking at them he could see scars on her neck and hands where the vault suit didn't cover her aside from the obvious ones marring her features. She obviously knew how to use the sniper rifle she strapped to her back from her military days. She would be a very helpful asset if she were to join the Brotherhood's ranks. "We need to find a Deep Range Transmitter located at Ark Jet Systems. Would you be willing to accompany me to locate it?"

She smiled warmly up at him. "Of course." She stepped forward and extended her hand. Rhys, Haylen, and Danse all stared at it, confused. "Oh, you don't do that now," she blushed. "It's a way to greet people in a respectful manner."

Haylen stepped forward and took it. "My name is Scribe Haylen. That's Knight Rhys and Paladin Danse: he's the one in charge around here."

"Captain Anna Solomon of the United States military. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm ready when you are, Paladin, to retrieve that transmitter."

* * *

Solomon was more skilled than Danse had anticipated. He'd already seen how great of a shot she was, but he never thought she could excel at hand-to-hand combat. The two of them had been cornered and their weapons knocked out of their hands by synths. Danse had moved to put himself between her and the robots when her foot lashed out and kicked the head right off of a synth.

Even in his power armor she was able to shove him behind her and block all the attacks the synths threw her way. When those were defeated, twenty more began to drop down. Solomon acted quickly by grabbing their weapons and closing the blast doors behind her and Danse and starting the countdown.

They watched in safety as the synths were burnt almost instantaneously. "That was impressive, Solomon," Danse complimented. "The military must've taught you very effectively."

She didn't turn to face him but instead shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess," she muttered.

He noticed the awkwardness in the air and decided to change the subject. "Once we get on the elevator the transmitter should be up a flight of stairs. Then, we can make our way back to the Police Station."

She absentmindedly handed him his weapon and muttered quietly as if to herself, "It's 11:47: almost midnight. We should find someplace secure to stay the night and keep watch at separate intervals."

Danse furrowed his brow. "How can you tell?"

That seemed to snap her out of her faze. "Military training," she said, turning to face him.

Now I know you're lying." He scowled as he crossed his power armor clad arms. "And I don't like being lied to."

She sighed deeply. "May I explain once we set up for the night?"

He could tell she really didn't want to tell him anything, but she lied to him and that wasn't allowed if she was going to join the Brotherhood's ranks.

After clearing out enough space to make an acceptable sleeping place, Anna made a fire big enough to keep the two of them warm and see around them. Danse watched her as she worked: with experienced hands that have done the same thing dozens of times. He'd seen Paladins stranded by themselves without firepower in unfamiliar territory shaking, not able to do anything, or keep looking over their shoulders as they worked. But Solomon was calm and collected. It made him anxious to hear her answer.

Meanwhile, her mind was reeling. She'd shown too much of her skillset and training during the mission. He must've thought nothing of it until she said the exact time. She cursed herself for it. He would most likely accuse her of being a traitor, but what could she have done? Her _husband_ had pinned her to floor. His voice broke through her thoughts. "Enough stalling, Solomon."

"I was a spy for the United States government. I worked to get information on the Chinese as well as assassinate high-ranking officials to weaken their chain of command. I basically did what no one else wanted to do. That's when I found out about…the bombs." Her mind traveled back to the day she discovered the plans. She was about to make contact with her supervisor when her husband had come in with her weapon. He worked for the Chinese and had been sent to infiltrate her life and see if he could find any info to weaken the United States.

He'd already had her pinned when the doorbell rang.

The Vault-Tech Salesmen.

She was eager for him to leave so that Nate didn't hold him as a hostage if their fight escalated.

After the man left, Anna sprang into action and round-house kicked Nate in the face. She began for the nursery, but he had put a knife in her thigh. He smirked as he walked back with their baby in hand. "Looking for this?"

That's when the alarms sounded.

He sprinted out of the house towards the Vault leaving her to pull the blade from her leg. She finally reached him at the elevator just as the bombs were dropped. In her head she could hardly believe what she saw. How could the Chinese actually go through with it? She glared at Nate. "Look at what you've done," she snarled.

Nate looked mortified. "They never told me." His hold on Shaun tightened.

As they entered the Vault and put on the suits, Anna felt that something about the Decontamination Pods wasn't right. It took five men to shove her inside. As the cryostasis took place, she looked over at her son. She would protect him even if she gave her life for the cause.

And then the nightmare of it all started.

A bald man with a scar over his left eye and a woman in a hazmat suit opened Nate's cryo pod and tried to take Shaun. Her baby. _Anna's baby._

She pounded on the glass with all her might until she bled, but it was useless. She felt a twinge of pain when Nate was shot, but her world shattered when they made off with her son. " _No!"_ Her voice cracked as the man walked over to her. "At least we still have the backup," he sneered.

Anger coursed through her veins. "I'll kill you! I'll track you down and kill you!"

And then she woke up. She was 200 years into the future with no one to rely on; no one she could call friend; no objective other than to find her son. But where could she look? Her surrounding were completely unfamiliar.

She had almost given up hope until Mama Murphy told her about Diamond City. As a spy she knew never to get her hopes up, but this was her _son_. If there was anyone who knew where he was she would travel heaven and earth to find them.

She looked away from Danse after recounting her sorrowful tale, not wanting to see pity in his eyes. "And before you say anything I don't need you to feel bad. I just-"

"I understand," he told her quietly. "I know what you're going through… in a way. But I would _love_ to get lessons and tips from you if you'd like to join the Brotherhood."

She was speechless. He understood her pain and wanted to learn her skills? She smiled as she realized how well they'll work together. "Thank you, Danse. So do you have any questions for me?"

He seemed giddy like a little schoolboy as he scooted closer to her. "What was the military like?

She smiled. "A family away from your family," she said softly. "Before I became a spy I was a Captain of the United States military, as you know. During my many tours I probably had saved around one hundred men and women in the midst of battle. Because Nate-my husband- was very abusive I liked to go out with my fellow soldiers. It was like that all the time till I became pregnant with Shaun, my son. Anything else?"

"How long did you train to be a spy?"

"About two years. I already could speak several languages and fight, I just needed to learn, well, spy things," she giggled. The sound was innocent considering what she was.

"If you hated Nate… why did you stay with him?" His tone was careful, nervous he might say the wrong thing.

Anna sighed deeply. "I figured you'd ask that. Back then, society was _much_ different than how it is now. As a woman, once you were married you basically became his property. At first, Nate was sweetest man I'd ever met." She looked into his eyes. "And then one day he just… snapped. He was cooking dinner and cutting some carrots. I walked into the room and accidentally spilled some water onto the counter and he just…lashed out with the knife. That's how I got the scar on my cheek: the one on the far left." Tears filled her eyes and she didn't bother to blink them away. "I was glad to risk my life so that I didn't have to be around him. I guess now I know why."

Danse moved closer and allowed her to silently cry on his shoulder. He knew he shouldn't've asked her such a personal question, but it left his lips before he could stop it. But he was glad they had established this amount of trust between each other. It would prove beneficial. "It's late. We should both try to get some sleep."

She nodded "Thank you, Danse."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Solomon and Danse woke up the next day and made the trek back to the Police Station with little activity save for some hounds and bloatflies. They made light conversation on the pre-wars days, different military methods, and the Brotherhood of Steel: which had seemed oddly familiar like she had heard of it 200 years ago. She had noted that when Danse spoke of it a glow seemed to emanate from him. As they entered the station, Danse's hearty laugh echoed around the broken walls. "You _really_ did that?"

"Yes!" she giggled, "I've told you that five times already!"

"Paladin!" Light footsteps were heard from around the corner and Scribe Haylen appeared with dried blood on her stomach and sweat on her brow. Dark circles were under her eyes and the two realized it was from watching Rhys all night. "You're back!"

"Scribe Haylen," Danse said, returning to his stoic demeanor, "how is Rhys?"

"Better, sir. He's very upset that he was unable to accompany you to Ark Jet instead of her," she laughed softly. "He wouldn't stop complaining all night."

"I can hear you!" Rhys called from the other room.

Haylen groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "I wasn't trying to hide it!" she retorted.

"Haylen, I'll look after Rhys, you go attach the transmitter and contact the Elder," Danse ordered. As he and Solomon were left alone he exited his power armor yet still towered over her. "So what will you do now?"

She shrugged as she hopped onto the counter and inspected the 10mm pistol she took out of its holster on her right hip. "I might rest before heading down to Diamond City like I originally planned. I can get you some supplies if you need. Maybe some fresh food or medical supplies?"

"We're fine at the moment, thanks. But if we need anything I'll have Haylen send out a broadcast. Do _you_ need anything?" he inquired, leaning against the wall next to her and crossing his arms over his broad chest. The pose was somewhat sexy and slightly turned her on when it was combined with the small innuendo.

"Other than a shoulder to cry on? No," she smiled. Danse wondered how she could do it without crying. Her smiles always seemed so genuine and seemed to brighten the Paladin's world. He cursed himself; she was his subordinate and he knew he couldn't fall for her. She's gone through so much pain and turmoil adding a one-sided attraction was not going to help. She had so much on her plate and still seemed to be able to put everyone else's needs before her own. She was an inspiration to everyone in the Commonwealth. "But I'll visit you and keep you in the loop."

Danse hesitated, confused by her word choice. "'In the loop'?" he repeated.

She chuckled. "Sorry, I'll keep you updated. I forgot the Commonwealth's vocabulary and phrases have changed a lot."

"Good luck, Solomon," she said grasping her hand and shaking it, remembering her way of greeting. "I hope you find what you need.

"I do, too."

* * *

Her journey to Diamond City was uneventful save for meeting Diamond City's crude mayor whom was rather rude to a reporter named Piper Wright. She had a head of dark brown hair and a vengeance for citizens to know the truth in the fashion of a newspaper called the _Public Occurrences._ When Anna Solomon had told her about her situation she suggested going to a detective named Nick Valentine who had an office somewhere in the city. As Solomon trailed behind Piper nostalgia set in as her mind flashed back to 200 years ago.

It was when Nate was still kind and loving and didn't beat her every day. As a birthday present to him she got tickets to the biggest game of the year with seats right above the dugout. She didn't even remember who was playing against Boston, but the most memorable moment was when a guy kept hitting on her and even reverted to smacking her ass.

The poor guy had no idea what he had coming.

Anna had grabbed his Nuka Cola, poured it on his head, took his hotdog, shoved it down his pants, and pushed him into the isle. Many of Boston's baseball players had seen and even requested to have security take the guy away and all signed a baseball. She wondered where that ball was now. A voice cut through the memories and Solomon shook her head; shaking away the thoughts. "Blue, are you okay?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you calling me that?"

"Uh, you're from a vault?" the reporter laughed, "The vault suit is a dead giveaway. But I've never heard of anyone coming from vault 111…I didn't even know there was another one." A curious look formed on her face. "Is anyone else still there?"

"Uh…no sorry. I was the only survivor," she flushed, thoughts going back to having her baby stolen.

"I know what to call you!" Piper squealed. " _The Sole Survivor_. I'm going to make you famous: how about after you go see Nick stop by my office so I can get an interview?"

"Sure, Piper. I'll see you later," she waved goodbye and aimlessly wandered around Diamond City. Many of the shops were beginning to close seeing as it was almost ten o'clock. She saw a doctor and weapons emporium and made a note to visit there to restock when she could.

Finally finding the detective's office, she entered to see a young woman going through a box of old stuff and muttering about the contents. "Oh, Nick's old hat," Solomon heard her whisper, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Excuse me?" she said loudly enough to get her attention but not startle her.

"Oh, look another stray coming in from the rain. We're closed," the woman said coolly.

"I can come back later if you need," Solomon suggested.

"No I mean we're closed forever. My boss went out on a case and hasn't been back for two weeks."

A tear was beginning to fall down her check. Solomon rushed forward and handed her an old cloth for her to wipe her tears. "I will find him: just tell me what you know." The words sounded what like what she would say while on a mission, but under less caring circumstances.

"He was going after a gangster named Skinny Malone over at the Park Street station in Boston Common and never came back," she sniffled. "I'm scared that he's dead."

"Okay, I'm going to get him back and make sure the agency stays open," Solomon winked. "You can count on me."

She was almost out the door when she called out, "I never got your name!"

"Anna Solomon, but you can call me Anna."

"Ellie."

"I'll see you soon, Ellie," she waved. All Ellie could think was that another person was going to be killed by Skinny Malone.

* * *

Solomon had reached where Ellie told her Nick Valentine was and moved through the subway station with ease. She didn't even know that gangsters were still around 200 years later in a world that was inhabited with super mutants, raiders, gunners, mirelurks, and a whole array of wasteland creatures she was certain were in other regions of the world. She had gotten to the end of the tunnel when her heart stopped. It was a vault entrance. Vault 114. Shaking away the thoughts, she used her pipboy and decided to take out her silenced 10mm pistol. A gunshot echoing everywhere was the last thing she needed to be stealthy. The minutes went by agonizingly slow for her tastes. She was never a patient woman and it often almost ruined several missions where she had to lay in silence for several hours sometimes days.

She finally came to what looked like a cafeteria and heard voices above her. Her steps were quiet as she tiptoed up the steps and glanced around the corner: a man was taunting someone inside the office. The voice inside sounded eerily familiar and slowly took aim. Seconds later blood was pooling around his head as he lay lifeless on the ground. Grabbing the terminal password from him, she still held her pistol as she approached him. "Are you Nick Valentine?"

He stared at her for several moments. His eyes finally widened and he took a step closer. "Anna Solomon?" he exclaimed, his yellow eyes growing bigger by the second. "How is that possible it's been 200 years?"

"Vault-Tech had us cryogenically frozen I thawed out only just recently. H-how do you know me?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nick Valentine was the detective on the Eddie Winter case: it's a lot to explain, but I have his memories implanted into mine," he explained.

It suddenly clicked. Solomon remembered working closely with a detective on a ruthless gangster. Normally, a spy wouldn't have helped with such a trivial situation, but the man ended up kidnapping an informant and the disappearance happened under mysterious circumstances. The evidence showed that the Chinese were involved and thus Solomon was called into action. "Oh, my god, Nick, it's you!" And then she recalled what happened to his fiancée. "I'm sorry about Jennifer," she told him solemnly.

"It's 200 years in the past. Now, how about we get out of here and get back to Diamond City?"

"Good plan."

* * *

After talking their way out of fighting Skinny Malone, Solomon walked beside Nick as they entered the city. They were mildly talking about the pre-war days when a deep voice shouted out suddenly, "Solomon, step away from the synth!"

She turned to face Paladin Danse and found him aiming his laser rifle at Nick. She put herself between the two and held up her hands in an effort to block the detective with her tiny stature. "Paladin Danse, he's a friendly!" she told him.

His eyes widened in anger and raised his rifle above her head; she wished Nick would just hide his body behind hers. "A _synth_ can _never_ be allowed to exist let alone have a member of the Brotherhood work with one! And it's an _it_ , Initiate!"

"Danse, he's my only hope of finding Shaun!" she begged. "If you kill him I will have hit another dead end."

He glared at her for several moments before reluctantly lowering his weapon. "You better be right about this, Solomon. But if that…that _thing_ puts one foot over the line, does something I don't like, or hurts you I won't hesitate to put it down."

"Way to be blunt, Danse," she mumbled under her breath so that only Nick could hear. A smile formed on his lips and she winked at him before she told him she'd meet him at his office in a minute. "Why are you here? I thought you were good on supplies?"

The anger in his eyes slowly dissipated and filled with light; as if he was happy to see her. But that was a ridiculous notion: a high-ranking member would never be a part of a relationship with someone under their command and Danse seemed like the type that lived his life by it. "Rhys has a fever and Scribe Haylen needed more stimpaks and I figured you were busy with trying to find your son so I didn't have her send out a broadcast. How is your investigation going?"

"Not sure," she shrugged, "Nick Valentine is my only lead so far. I had to save him from a group of gangsters hiding away in a vault called Vault 114. I didn't know gangsters were still around 200 years later," Solomon joked.

"Look, if you need anything from me or the Brotherhood just ask: I will do anything I can to help you find your son," he said seriously. He placed his power armor clad hand carefully on her shoulder. "We will make those responsible pay."

 **Hey, so I realized that I didn't do an author's note my last chapter and decided to just do a run-through of everything in this one. I made this for my own enjoyment at first and decided to share it with the world. My friend doesn't usually read these types of things, but supports what I do. So this goes out to you, girlie! Also, I thought it would be kinda cool to make Sole and Nick know each other from the pre-war days. I know it was probably very unlikely that they would've known each other, but the female Sole was a lawyer and Nick is a detective so you never really know. I will try to update as quickly as I possibly can so please bear with me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Anna Solomon stumbled out of Fort Hagen and clutched at her bleeding cheek. That dang Conrad Kellogg had managed to take a shot at her and the bullet grazed her cheek: leaving a scar that overlapped the one Nate had left with his knife. She fell to her knees on the roof at the despair she felt in her heart. She was _this_ close to finding her baby boy and now she discovered he was inside the Institute. How was she supposed to get him now? Dogmeat seemed to notice her dismay and whined as he nudged her arm with his nose. "I'm okay, boy."

A distant humming caught her attention. From her short time here in the Commonwealth that wasn't from before the war she hadn't heard of anything that made that sound. But that didn't mean she hadn't heard it 200 years ago. "Vertibirds?" she whispered softly. She quickly unlocked the security door that opened onto the rooftop and felt her heart swell at the sight of the familiar flying metal birds all the while escorting something that looked like a blimp. _Huh_ she thought _just like what Roger used to want_. Just then, a new radio broadcast was found so she tuned it to that frequency and was happy to hear Danse ordering all Brotherhood members to return to the Cambridge Police Station. "Good thing reinforcements are here, Dogmeat, Danse and I can't be doing all the work."

Meanwhile, Danse was beaming as he watched Brotherhood soldiers milling about the police station; most of them in power armor, others were initiates or scribes. He hoped to see Solomon soon so that he could take her aboard the Prydwen and meet Elder Maxson. He felt that they both had very similar views and strengths: being able to lead others, put their lives on the frontlines, and always be able to hide their troubles so that they could help those around them. He felt like they would get along very well. His thoughts were interrupted when Haylen stormed over to him. "Paladin Danse, sir, I'm trying to tell them what to do with the ammo crates, but they're not listening to me," she growled, stomping her foot.

He sighed while still grinning. Haylen was one of the toughest people he'd ever met, but she was also the shyest person in the history of the Brotherhood. "Scribe Haylen is the most experienced so you will do as she says," he ordered. He always wondered how she could both terrify him and herself at the same time.

"Looks like Haylen needs to kick some ass," a familiar soft voice behind him laughed. Solomon was leaning against some crates with her arms crossed over her chest with a German Sheppard sitting obediently beside her. A sly smirk was on her features, but he could see that she was in pain. Not physical, but more mental and emotional. An initiate would never see it due to her training, but he was taught to read soldiers and he felt she trusted him enough to let her guard down. "I might have to teach her before I teach you." Her grin widened a bit before she flinched at the movement. It was at this moment that he noticed blood staining a makeshift patch that she taped to her cheek.

"Solomon, what the hell happened to you?" he demanded, rushing over to assess her wound.

"I tracked down the man who took Shaun: Conrad Kellogg was his name."

"'Was'?" Danse repeated. A brow rose in questioning.

"I killed him. But…he had already giving my son to the Institute," she whispered. "I failed my son." Tears threatened to spill, but she willed herself not to. She couldn't appear weak to the Brotherhood soldiers here at the Police Station.

"No you didn't," Danse told her. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "You did no such thing and you can't blame yourself for that. The man that stole him is to blame because he was ruthless and idiotic to make you his enemy." A moment of silence was shared between them as they both moved to lean on the crates. "So how did you get that scar?"

"He managed to take a shot at me when I heard Dogmeat get hurt. The bullet just grazed me but that was not the worst injury I sustained during our battle. Dogmeat and I were surrounded by synths and it was just me. I basically stood over him and a blade was dragged across my back by a broken piece of metal on one of their pistols." The Paladin gave her a pointed look. "Don't worry I'll get it looked at."

"We can do that at the Prydwen: in fact, they have ordered us to board her so that you can meet the Elder. I've requested to have you promoted to the rank of Knight."

"I won't disappoint you, Danse, I promise."

Heading up to the roof, Danse watched as Solomon boarded the vertibird with elegance and experience and took her place in one of the seats; not bothering to buckle herself in. She patted her lap for the dog to sit on and firmly held on to his collar. "I forget that you're military," he said absentmindedly. "You must've done this a million times."

She smiled up at him. "I loved flying in these things. The battlefield changes drastically from up here."

The flight to the Prydwen was quiet and Danse was eager for she and the Elder to meet. He was sure they would get along very well. Anna followed Danse onto the flight deck to where a man was waiting. He and Danse conversed for a moment before the Paladin left. She spoke to him before he dismissed her to go talk to the Elder. She was almost inside when a large man moved to block the door from her. "My name in Paladin Woods. You must be the Brotherhood's newest recruit," he sneered, his eyes roaming up and down her figure; scrutinizing every curve, every scar. She did not shy away because she was used to it. Men 200 years ago hardly believed she was in the military, let alone a spy. She'd faced off against men almost two times his size, so this Woods guy wasn't much of a threat to her. "You don't look like much of a soldier."

"Well, I was," she remarked. "I was a captain of the United States Military before I became a spy for the government so I feel like I am capable of adapting to the Brotherhood's standards very efficicently and effortlessly to help you take down the Institute." She cocked a hip and rested her hands on her hips. "Was there anything else, _sir_?"

He straightened his back to appear taller, more manly, and in charge, but the look Solomon gave him almost made him shrivel away in fear. "No, _Initiate_ ," he growled. "You may leave."

The second the door shut behind her, she muttered, "Thanks for giving me permission, sir," She walked over to where a man was speaking to soldiers and made sure her footsteps didn't echo too loudly so as to cause a disturbance, although, Dogmeat's nails clicked on the metal which caused a woman to glare at her before facing forward once more. The man speaking wore a large, comfy looking overcoat with a beard, and a painful looking scar over his right cheek. The soldiers around her were standing at attention and hanging on to every word he uttered. When he seemed to finally notice her, he did the same as Woods, but seemed more surprised more than anything. After he finished his speech, Anna walked over and saluted the Elder. "Initiate Solomon," he said. "Or formerly Captain Anna Solomon of the United States Military. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, sir. Danse speaks very highly of you which made me anxious to see what all the fuss was about." Her sideways grin indicated that she was joking, but he could see in her eyes that she was inspecting and judging him. "Seems all the fuss was worth it," she concluded with a wink.

With his face flushed, he motioned for her to follow him over to the window. He was about to say something when they door slammed shut. They turned to see Woods angrily stomping over to the ladder to go up to the next level of the ship. "Woods seems to not like you," he said with a lowered voice. She turned back around to see the Elder leaning down to speak quietly.

"I may have been a bit rude towards him upon my arriving aboard the Prydwen."

A grin tugged at his lips. "You've got him tongue-tied? That's a first, he usually never shuts up."

The phrase caught her attention. "I thought pre-war phrases were lost on the Commonwealth?"

He took a seat on one of the couches and motioned for her to do the same. "I like pre-war phrases. It reminds me of one of my ancestors. He created the Brotherhood of Steel with the help of a friend of his, but their name has been lost over the past 200 years."

Breathless, Solomon slowly lowered herself down next to him. "What was his name?" Her heart was beating out of her chest. Two hundred years ago, she had a friend who thought that he could make a branch of the military that would be more forceful in taking down the Chinese and hoped she would be a founder with him.

"Roger Maxson."

A squeal escaped her lips as she promptly began to jump up and down. "That is amazing!"

The Elder's eyebrows were raised in confusion and worry as the Initiate bounced around the room. "What is?"

She spun around. " _I_ was the friend! We met at boot camp and after that shared our crazy ideas!" She plopped down onto the couch next to him which caused him to be shifted a little closer to her. "I gave him all the ideas you use today, that's why I hit it off with Danse!"

The man stared at her for a moment before leaning over and grabbing a whiskey bottle from the table. "That's the weirdest thing I've heard in my entire life." He handed her a glass and poured the drink into it. "I want you to meet the crew. After that, I want you and Danse to meet me in front of my door; we have much to discuss. I am also promoting you to the rank of Knight. Serve us well, Solomon."


	4. Chapter 4

Anna Solomon had finished meeting the crew and met up with Danse in the mess hall and told him about everything. When she met Cade, he numbed her cheek and back for a bit so that he could stitch up her cuts. After, he gave her a stimpaks and she was surprised how much better she felt. Danse was surprised when Solomon told him that the Elder wished to see the two of them after meeting the crew. He was afraid that she had already gotten into trouble. "What did you say to him?" he asked worriedly as he followed behind her. He had taken off his power armor which left him feeling defenseless.

"Nothing, Danse," she assured him. "We were just talking about the Brotherhood. Now come on, we don't want to keep him waiting."

Danse was hesitant to knock on the door, but when he did he was surprised to see the Elder in gym clothes. "Ah, Danse, Solomon! I was hoping we could go to the gym and spar."

"I'd love to, but I don't have any clothes," she told him.

"I'll buy you something from Teagan and you can pay me back later," he said to her. "Danse, we'll be waiting while you change."

While the Elder and Solomon waited for Danse, she couldn't help but appreciate how defined the muscles on his body were. Some part of her wanted to rub her fingers all over them and kiss the death out of him, but the _logical_ part knew to keep her distance. When Danse walked out, she felt the same strange urge. _Oh, to be caught in between those two_ she thought to herself _What a ride_ that _would be_. "Solomon?" Shaken out of her dirty thoughts, she looked up to see the two men staring at her with worry. _Sucks I only had two people who cared about me…One is dead and the other is missing._ "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," she blushed, still thinking about before. "Just lost in my thoughts."

Surprisingly, Solomon's butt was so big she had to wear medium sized shorts. Since she was only a Knight, she didn't have her own room and thus had to change in the public barracks. Arthur and Danse glanced over to see her pulling off her vault suit. They were both surprised to see a plethora of scars marring her tanned skin. In the middle were two that stood out: the Chinese flag and a snake coiled around a blade. What horrified them was that they were drawn with a knife.

They exchanged a look. The two knew of her time as a spy, but they wondered who would torture someone of her personality. Although, she _was_ a spy; who knew what she was like when on a mission. Many other soldiers that slept beside her turned to gape at her, yet she chose to ignore them. In the end, she was dressed in black sophie shorts and a gray sports bra with black and gray socks. "I'm ready, sir. If you'll lead the way."

Danse and Arthur flanked her and glared at any man who looked her way. Once Solomon saw the workout room, nostalgia set in. She thought of when she and Roger Maxson had been placed in the same squad. The two of them had been working out and decided to spar. She had broken down saying that she had become pregnant with Shaun. He comforted her for about an hour when she kissed him. The rest of the night was spent in ecstasy.

She was called on a mission the next morning and she did not see him again until after Shaun had been born.

When she shook her head to clear her thoughts, she looked up to see the men already sparring. When Arthur beat Danse, Solomon took her place inside the makeshift ring mainly composed of four poles and rope. Rolling her neck, her eyes followed his every move. "I'll try to go easy," he taunted her with a smirk.

She smiled at him. "And that'll be the last mistake you'll ever make," she warned.

This wasn't the first time Arthur had sparred with a woman, but he always went easy in fear he might hurt them. They would never make eye contact and only punch; never using anything else in their arsenal. But Solomon was different. Her eyes watched his every move as they circled the ring. He could tell she was going to be vastly different in fighting from people now. He lunged forward attempting to grab her around the waist, but she slid right through his fingers and spun around him. She moved with elegance that he'd never seen before in sparring. She looked like she was about to lash out when a squire burst into the room out of breath. He had disheveled blonde hair and ocean green eyes. "Knight Solomon, there's a broadcast from the Minutemen saying that raiders are surrounding the settlement called Sanctuary. They're not advancing or firing, but he says they need you right away." The boy bent over and rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

With wide eyes, Solomon looked at both men and started to pull on some boots and clothes she had carried with her to the training room. "I-I'm terribly sorry, but I must head out. I'd love to stay and spar, but I need to help them out." She turned to Dogmeat who had made himself comfy on the ground and watched lazily as they sparred. "Dogmeat, stay. I can't have you getting hurt while I deal with this." The German Shepard whined and walked off to where her bed was.

As she began to head towards the door, they also pulled on clothes and boots that they had in gym bags. "We'll go with."

"But-"

Arthur held up his hand to silence her. "Danse is still your supervisor and has to be with you every step of the way for the two of you to be a great team. I need to stretch my legs and even talk with their leader after helping them to propose a deal to make an alliance."

Nodding, she let them follow her to a vertibird where the squire had called for a pilot. While sprinting outside, they all three had grabbed their weapons: Solomon had her silenced 10mm pistol, serrated machete, and sniper rifle; Danse had his laser rifle and power armor; Arthur had a modified version of the laser rifle. Solomon sat on the floor of the vertibird inspecting her rifle and cleaning it off with an old cloth while the two men did the same. "Why are these people so important to you?" the Elder wondered.

She sighed deeply and continued her actions despite the weapon being incredibly shiny. The men realized this must've been a nervous tick of hers; something to keep her distracted and focused on one thing. "When I first left the Vault, I had gone back to Sanctuary which is where I used to live before the bombs and discovered settlers were in Concord. They were trapped in a museum by raiders. I helped them out and in the process got a mini gun and a T-45 suit of power armor from before the war. I couldn't just abandon those people afterwards." They listened intently. Whenever she spoke, it was like having your mother tell you a bedtime story or all of her old adventures. Of course, neither of them knew the feeling well.

Danse couldn't help but feel that Solomon would have been an amazing mother-even as a spy. He felt unparalleled anger towards her husband. Despite not even having seen a picture of him. He and Arthur both felt their hearts clench when they realized she never got to watch her son grow up: see him take his first steps, say his first word, his first day of school. She missed all important things in his life. Arthur secretly hoped his first word was, " _mama_."

Anna leaned back against the closed door of the vertibird. "Anyways, I was taking out the rest of the raiders that arrived when a deathclaw came out of nowhere."

The two men's jaws dropped to the floor. "That is…outstanding!" Danse said. "For one, you were not experienced in the ways of the Commonwealth completely and, two, the only other recorded time someone survived a deathclaw attack without a crippling injury was Arthur Maxson. That's how he got the scar."

She gave him a look of shock. Her eyes slid down to the painful looking stitches on his cheek. "Aren't you, like, twenty? How old were you when it happened?"

He placed his gun on the floor beside him. "I was about thirteen. Speaking of age, how old are you? I mean, honestly, you look so young, yet you have the skills and experience of those twice _my_ age. I can't help but wonder."

A blush crept up her cheeks and she looked out the window in embarrassment. Both men found it somewhat adorable. "Um… seventeen," she muttered.

After a tense moment, Danse brought a hand up to cup around his ear as if he couldn't hear her very well. "I must've misheard you. It sounded like you said you were _seventeen_. And that's preposterous because you were a _Captain_ in the military, a _spy,_ and have a _child._ "

"You heard right. I started my training from a young age due to a majority of my family being either a spy or a member of the military. Like I told you before, Danse, things were much different back then." Solomon looked out the window and found them almost to Starlight Drive-In. _We'll be there soon_ she thought. She reached over and slung her rifle over her shoulder while rising to kneel in what they thought to be a perfect position for a sniper on the move.

"But even still," he muttered. "You just seem so young to be exposed to such horrors."

Solomon unlocked the door and slid it open to get a good view of the settlement below. "I've moved on, Danse!" she yelled over the whirring of the propellers. "You should, too!"

The pilot spoke through the intercom. "Ma'am, from what I can tell Sanctuary is completely surrounded and the raiders seem to be overtaking the settlers. How would you like to proceed?"

"Danse, you have explosive vent mods on your armor, right?" He nodded. "Bring us over a populated area of the attackers," she ordered. When Anna reloaded her weapon, and brought back the lever to eject an empty casing the Brotherhood members had never seen anything sexier. "Elder Maxson, it might be a bit awkward for two people to hold on to Danse, so I will have the pilot let you land once it's over. For now, I need you to man the minigun."

"Of course."

"Ready, Danse?" she smirked, inching closer to the edge.

The Paladin put his helmet into place and handed her his own weapon. He picked her up bridal style and took a small step forward and plummeted downwards. From inside his suit, he watched as her golden blonde hair whipped through the air, her hazel-green eyes alight with excitement, and her tanned arm wrapped around his armored neck. She looked like an angel trapped in Hell.

The second after he landed inside the group of raiders and the aftershock of the explosion settled, Solomon used her 10mm to take out a few on their right that were outside the blast radius before switching to her sniper rifle. As she neared another group, she took out a grenade, pulled the clip, and deftly tossed it in the middle with a practiced hand. Danse followed behind her and assisted her as they cleared out enough raiders for her to be able to enter the settlement by climbing up a wall. "Danse, circle around! I'll meet up with you in a second."

She ran over to some settlers who were about to be overrun and handing them some grenades while throwing over a few herself. Things were going well for them when a woman around her mid-thirties was shot from four different directions. Anna caught her before she hit the ground and began to apply pressure to her wounds as much as she could. But there was too much blood pooling around them; too many wounds and not enough hands to help. She was just one girl. The spy could only hear a ringing and the woman's weak breathing as she screamed for a medic, the noise tearing through her throat and cracking from emotion. She placed the woman down and started to rip her shirt to help, but the lady smiled sadly up at her as she weakly stopped her actions. The battle around them vanished as she forced herself to speak. "I wanted to fight for my family. They saved me from raiders. I was able to help others and now I get to see them again."

The life slowly faded from her eyes and her hand- which had been cupping Anna's cheek- fell limp to the ground. A single tear fell upon her pale skin as Solomon carefully put her down and got to her feet, wiping away the tears that spilled from her eyes and glared at the raiders near Danse.

At first, Danse was plowing through the raiders at a steady pace, but soon they were overpowering him and climbing onto him to take him down. He had just fallen to his knees when several of them were physically _wrenched_ off him. Killing the rest, he looked up to see Anna- once looking like an angel sent from heaven- now looked like an angel changed by war and turned into a demon; perhaps even the devil herself. Her eyes were alight with fire and white-hot anger as she slashed at the opponents' necks and moved on.

To Arthur's horror, Knight Solomon had placed all her weapons in their correct place and sprinted with astonishing speed towards the last and largest group of raiders. He watched with interest as she flipped and dove out of the way of a barrage of bullets. She finally got close enough to begin using her training she had perfected to easily take them down. He swiveled the mini gun around and aided her. Soon after, the gunfire ceased.

Danse exited his armor and ran over to Solomon to see the same dark look in her eyes from before as she dropped the pipe pistol she had taken from a raider and shot them with. It honestly scared him. He was used to the kind, sweet-spirited young woman who had saved him and his squad from feral ghouls. "Solomon, it's okay," he told her, gripping her shoulders and trying to get her to look at him. But her stoic posture stayed; as did the unfocused gaze. "It's over."

Arthur ran over as the vertibird landed and stopped short when he saw her expression. "What's wrong?"

Without saying a word, the Paladin pulled her petite frame against his body and motioned for the Elder to do the same. "Anna," he murmured. "It's okay. It's all over." This caused her eyes to snap over to his chest since this was all she could see of him. He had never called her by her first name in the time he'd known her and didn't expect him to any time soon. The feeling of the two men entrapping her in their comforting embrace calmed her down enough to turn and wrap her arms around Danse's muscled body.

The soldiers felt relieved when Anna hugged Danse back, but tensed when they realized she had begun to shake with suppressed sobs. After some time, she cried out, "I wish I had just died!"

The statement surprised them and looked down to see her small body being wracked with evident pain and sorrow. She released her hold on her superior officer and sunk to her knees. They knelt in front of her and Arthur gently lifted her head by gripping her chin. Her usually bright golden eyes were now red as tears spilled down her raw cheeks. "Anna, you can't mean that," Arthur whispered.

"I wish Nate had just killed me," she sobbed, still allowing them to hold her head up. "I shouldn't have fought back. I should've just given in."

Danse set his jaw. "Anna, look at me," he ordered firmly. She reluctantly shifted her gaze to settle on him and kept eye contact. "If you had died, so would me, Haylen, and Rhys. If you had died, the man who ruined your life would still be destroying families. If you had died, the Institute would never have a compatible enemy. _If you had died_ … Arthur and I would never have met you."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "No one would have made the Elder look like a fool while sparring."

Even though the insult was directed towards him, Arthur couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"General!"

At the noise, the two Brotherhood soldiers shot to their feet and moved to block Anna from the approaching Minuteman. They glared at the black man sprinting over with a laser musket in his hands. "State your business, Civilian!" Danse commanded.

He gave the two of them a disgusted look before going around them to kneel next to Anna. "General, are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

" _General_?"

She looked up at them sheepishly and nodded. "Yes, Preston, I'm okay. Can you meet me later? I need to talk to them."

"Yes, ma'am."

As he walked away, she got to her feet and wiped off the dirt from her clothes. "Before you say anything, I met them just after I left the Vault. They asked me to help a few settlements and they decided to make me General of the Minutemen. All I do is go around helping farmers, set up secure places for people to live, and try to lift some of the weight from their shoulders."

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest and scowled while Danse placed his hands on his hips. "Why didn't you say something beforehand? This is an important piece of information you decided to leave out."

She shrugged. "You never asked who the leader was or what they were like. Look, I need to make sure everyone inside Sanctuary is okay; they really took a beating today." She walked up the road and over the bridge, leaving them behind. They followed her through the walls to find her squatting next to some kids who seemed visibly shaken and slowly calmed down as she spoke to them. Then, she moved on to a boy around Arthur's age and began to examine the slash on his upper thigh. They got close enough to hear her say, "go to my house, take off your pants, and wait for me in the bathroom so that I can patch you up."

"Yes, General," he laughed, beginning to limp away.

Danse and Arthur immediately glared at the young man. They would not let him have her in such an intimate situation. But before they could even take a step in his direction, her voice cut through the settlement's commotion. "If you two even _think_ about doing something I will break your legs."

Danse looked innocently offended and brought his arms out to his sides to complain. "But- "

"No buts. Follow him to my house and sit in the living room. Feel free to look around if you wish. I'll be there in a minute."

Danse muttered something about hormones before he went inside.

The house was surprisingly clean and rebuilt. The room was decorated with intricately painted pictures hanging on the walls and small picture frames on the cabinet, shelves, and coffee table. The two men sat on the somewhat intact sofa and looked at some of the photos. In one, Anna laid on a bed seeming worn out, but happy nonetheless as she cradled a small baby in her arms while a man with Danse's build and height surrounded the two in his arms. In another, the three were dressed in strange clothing with carved pumpkins burning behind them. In the last one, Anna and the baby sat on the floor playing with a variety of toys. It wasn't until the two looked closer that they realized in each picture her bruises got worse and the happiness in her eyes slowly dissipated.

A small voice spoke up being them. "I'm not sure why I kept those pictures." They turned to see Anna holding a med-kit in her hands and a frown on her lips. She moved to sit on the table in front of them while picking up one of the frames. "I guess I just miss having my family together…Even if it _was_ broken."

"General, is that you?" The young man limped out of one of the rooms with a sideways grin on his features. When he noticed the Brotherhood soldiers, it fell. "What they hell are _they_ doing here?" he snarled.

"Excuse you?" The Elder growled, both he and the Paladin rising to their feet.

"You heard me!"

Anna moved to stand in between them. "Hey! They are guests in our settlement, potential allies of ours, and close friends of mine, so you will give them the same amount of respect you would give me. Is that understood?"

He pouted and nodded while looking away from her. "Yes, ma'am." After a moment, he looked up at the pair. "I apologize."

"All is forgiven. We're sorry as well."

"Do you still want me to patch you up or do you want someone else to do it?"

"No thanks," he smiled. "I'll just go to Sturges."

"I'm sorry, James!" she called out as the boy hobbled down the street.

"Yeah, you better be!"

Several silent moments later, Arthur chuckled softly which caused her to give him a confused look. "So, we're friends now?" he wondered with a sexy smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head slightly to the side. Danse shifted to a similar stance and Anna knew she had never seen anything so attractive.

A blush settled on her cheeks. "I mean- "

"Don't worry," Danse waved. "We feel the same way; he just wants to tease you."

Anna glanced out the window to see how dark it was. "It'll be way too late before you get back to the Prydwen. Would you like to stay here for the night?"

"That would be appreciated."

Anna raised her pointer finger and said, "I'll be right back." She was gone for a few minutes and came back with a bundle of clothes and food. "So, I went ahead and gave the pilot a bed for the night, but that was the last one. I have a bed here in my house that you two can take; so, you'll be there, and I'll be on the couch. Just give me- "

"Even though it's not customary in the Brotherhood we are in Minutemen territory and that means you handle things differently. If sharing a bed for those who need one is how you operate, then we must adhere to those rules." Danse gave her a pointed look and Arthur winked.

A large grin stretched over her lips as she bounced on her heels. "Well, then, follow me!"

They entered the last room on the left to find a large queen-sized bed, two dressers in each other the corners, and a closet with several outfits. The Paladin recognized several wasteland outfits like the Long-Johns, Gunner Harness, Vault 111 Jumpsuit, and Athletic outfit. There was one that consisted of a black button-up and cargo pants. He saw dried blood on the collar and wondered if it was the outfit she took from the man who stole her son. "How long did it take you to rebuild the settlement?" Arthur inquired. Anna handed he and Danse the clothes she had brought for them and rifled through her drawers to find something for herself.

"Well, I'm not completely done. When I had first left the Vault, I spent most of my time working on my house to help save the memories and try to feel like I wasn't two hundred years in the future with none of my loved ones left. Once I re-established the Minutemen, I decided to have a few of them continue what I started."

"It's coming along well."

The three of them changed into their clothes and the men's faces flushed red. Anna was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and a large flannel shirt. "Ready for bed?"

They exchanged a look. "As we'll ever be."


End file.
